Apex Merchant Group Review
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All mentions of rate and fee costs are estimations based on publicly available information and client feedback. Actual costs may vary based on a variety of factors unique to your business.
Apex Merchant Group
Rating
Customer Reviews & Sentiment
We are currently able to locate over 120 Apex Merchant Group complaints, many of which describe the company as a ripoff or a scam. This is a high number of complaints for a provider of its size and time in business, and these complaints come from both former agents and merchant customers. Agents mostly report misleading job opportunities that promise great pay and high-quality appointments set by the company. However, most of these complaints state that the appointments are usually of poor quality and that merchants often are not expecting their arrival. Due to this, several agents reported costs in travel that were never recovered because they were unable to complete sales at their appointments.
Merchant complaints primarily consist of reports of unauthorized debits from checking accounts, deceptive sales tactics by agents, “hidden” fees, poor customer service, difficulty closing accounts, and nondisclosure of important fees, terms, and conditions prior to an agent setting up an account.
Industry Scores & User Ratings
| Product & Service Complaints | 72 |
|---|---|
| Billing & Collection Complaints | 33 |
| Advertising & Sales Complaints | 20 |
| Guarantee & Warranty Complaints | 0 |
| Delivery Complaints | 0 |
As of this review, the Better Business Bureau is reporting a “F” rating for Apex Merchant Group based on 125 complaints filed in the last 36 months. Of the total, 72 are regarding problems with products and services, 33 with advertising and sales issues, and 20 with billing and collection disputes. Apex has resolved 23 of the complaints to the merchant’s satisfaction, while 76 if complaints either were resolved to the merchant’s dissatisfaction or did not receive a final response from the merchant. Another 25 complaints didn’t receive a good faith response from Apex, and one complaint went completely unaddressed. The BBB also notes the government action against the company. We see no reason to adjust the BBB’s grade at this time.
Processing Rates & Fees
The total cost of an Apex merchant account will likely vary based on a merchant’s business type and the agent setting up the account. Numerous merchants indicate that agents often overprice the rates and fees and that the accounts often end up more expensive than what merchants were quoted. In addition, the company charges an annual PCI Compliance fee of $125.
Apex’s standard contract (available below) includes a three-year service agreement with automatic renewal for one-year terms, an Early Termination Fee (ETF) of $495 or more, a $95 annual fee, and an unlisted monthly minimum fee. These fees are automatically debited from merchants’ attached checking accounts. Merchants who choose to lease equipment may be subject to additional fees and conditions, including non-cancellable long-term leases. See the Apex Merchant Group Terms & Conditions.
Apex Merchant Group Competitors
Compare Apex Merchant Group to competitors that earned top marks.
Bottom Line
Apex Merchant Group rates as a substandard merchant account provider by almost every available metric. The company appears to follow an “agent hiring mill” recruiting strategy for marketing its services. This strategy seems to lead to high turnover and a constant stream of rookie agents who appear to receive poor training, are focused on high commissions, and have insufficient oversight from Apex management. Apex can improve its score by removing undesirable terms and conditions from its merchant account agreement and eliminating complaints from its agents and merchant customers.
